Diana L. Paxson

This is a terrific and daring take on the re-telling of the Arthurian legend. It starts with Vortigern and the after-effects of the Romans leaving Britain, where a good number of families live on their Roman estates. They are trying to cope with the infighting of the clans and the invasions of the Anglo Saxons. Two Priestesses of the Isle of Women, Maderun and Argantel, occupy many of the events of the early chapters of Book 1, including the sanctifying of the sword and the alliances and show more warring clans.

By Merlin's birth, the POV changes and we see Vortigern's alliances to the Anglo Saxon chieftains through his eyes, with his gifts in full flower. Merlin's difference from his fellows, both physical and his Gift, are troubling to him. He witnesses the Night of the Long Knives and does what he can to honor the dead. Arthur is fostered, and we then move to Book 2.

Where the action is seen from the view of the Saxons: their lands are flooding, their people are leaving, greener shores are elsewhere, and yet the kinds are beholden to their land. And Book 2 does not deviate from this POV: that's what makes this set? series? so unique and deserving of 5 stars. Paxson brings in the culture of the Anglo Saxons as something other than The Enemy of the Britons.

Neither culture is fully Christianized, save for the one of Lesser Britain (per one of the young noblemen at young Arthur's court), so the shifting is well-drawn. And the dilemma of young Oesc, the Saxon noble, who is a hostage at Arthur's court and yet finds himself growing to respect this young king, is a good storyline woven into the overall tapestry. show less

In my endeavors to read new novels, I plucked this book off the shelf. Why wouldn’t I? I just finished The Mists of Avalon and was still in the mood to keep reading about the magical women of Britain. On the other hand, this book was about Boudica. I know enough about Boudica and the revolt against the Romans to know that things weren’t pretty and it didn’t go well for Britain. But, I’ve read a lot of stories knowing what was going to happen…so I started reading.

This book was show more written by Diana Paxson, longtime friend and collaborator of Marion Zimmer Bradley. Like the other post-Mists of Avalon books, it has MZB’s voice but there’s something lacking. The vastness and dept of Mists just isn’t present in this book (or in The Forest House, Priestess of Avalon etc). But, I enjoyed it for what it was. Diana Paxson is an excellent writer and I think she’s done a good job continuing Avalon when when Marion Zimmer Bradley died in 1999.

Boudica is the daughter of one of the chief-kings in Britain. She is sent to the Druid Isle for education, and meets the young priestess Lhiannon. The two become close friends, even though they have very different paths. Boudica, lacking the talents and patience to be a priestess, leaves to marry Praustagos and become Queen of the Iceni in the north. Lhiannon becomes a priestess who fights alongside the Druids against the invading Romans in the south. Boudica’s father had been a Roman collaborator, and she and Praustagos continue to live under Roman rule. This affords them a bit of peace. However, when Praustagos dies, the Romans deny Boudica and her daughters their rule and brutalize them. Pissed as hell, Boudica raises an army and marches through Brittania, destroying not only Roman legions, but those Britons who collaborated with them.

Diana Paxson doesn’t pretend anything like “Oh, even though they were defeated the Britons really won in their own special way” (kind of like in The Mists of Avalon…but I didn’t really mind that). The Britons were slaughtered. I’ve read about how 10,000 Romans killed somewhere around 300,000 Britons. It was kind of depressing to read…but I never got so sucked into the book that I FELT it.

I did enjoy this book. I don’t think that there’s anywhere else for the series to go (unless Diana Paxson wants to start writing about Atlantis). I wonder: if given the chance, would I read the Avalon series in chronological order (leaving The Mists of Avalon) for the end)? Hmm. Well, if she writes more, I’ll read them. I probably won’t re-read them, though. show less

What a great re-telling of an ancient story. Shakespeare gave us much in the English language when he re-told it, and now Paxson brings ancient history to life. Her research into Celtic Britain is fundamental to the story, and the struggle of Cridilla/Cordelia with her father fits into a change from matriarchy to a more warrior culture. The familiar characters are here with changing of the names to more ancient pre-Celtic forms.

Cridilla's two older sisters are anxious to see their queenship show more with the land restored and this striving for the return of old, half-remembered ways forms the basis of their telling their father they love him more than Cridilla does. And C. is given a more fleshed out life in this re-telling, so that we learn her childhood, her warrior training, her understanding that the queen gives life to her land, and her heartbreak when her father casts her out.

My only observation of when the story drags is the point where Cridilla finds Leir in the wastes of the Isle of the Mighty; it's another instance where 5 pages could have sufficed for 20. Otherwise, the writing is top-notch and pulls the reader into a world very different from ours. show less

Where do I begin?

This was yet another masterful addition to the world of Avalon that [a:Marion Zimmer Bradley|4841825|Marion Zimmer Bradley|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1305483488p2/4841825.jpg] introduced us to so long ago with [b:The Mists of Avalon|402045|The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347354878s/402045.jpg|806813]. Tn this volume we are transported between pre-Roman Britain, ancient Archae (current Greece) and many points show more throughout Bronze Age Europe.

Morgaine returns to introduce us to what will follow and some much-loved characters return in various forms throughout. I was thrilled to read a possible origin for one of Arthur's Great Swords in a completely unique and historically viable tale. It's obvious that Paxson did exhaustive research in preparing for this novel. The environments, tools and techniques used, and general societies are well developed and completely appropriate to the time that Paxson recreates for the reader.

Although it takes some time for the central story to develop (100 pages in), the story would be incomplete without the preceding material. This is also consistent with the style of writing that I have come to expect from Bradley or Paxson.

Truly a joy, worthy of more than 5 stars! show less